Futuresport

“Yes, man. Get it, man.” —Obike Fixx

Today’s quick review: Futuresport. Ten years after Obike Fixx (Wesley Snipes) invented Futuresport, Tre Ramzey (Dean Cain) has become its star. But in the process, he has alienated Alex Torres (Vanessa L. Williams), his ex-girlfriend and a dedicated reporter. Tre and Alex are forced to set aside their differences when Eric Sythe (J.R. Bourne), the leader of the Hawaiian Liberation Organization, targets them for his latest terrorist attack.

Futuresport is a sci-fi sports action movie set in the year 2025. The titular sport is a violent mix of handball and skateboarding used to settle disputes between street gangs. The plot revolves around Tre, an egotistical Futuresport champion who must return to his roots to foil the plans of the HLO. Futuresport is a light movie that earns points with its outlandish vision of the future but squanders them with mediocre craftsmanship.

Futuresport’s flaws are numerous. Tre makes for an oddly static protagonist. His character arc is supposed to be about him learning to be a team player, but his cocky attitude never changes. The props, sets, and special effects look flimsy, resulting in blatantly artificial action scenes. Even the sport itself is dealt a bad hand; the movie rushes through its Futuresport games, and they are never given the weight they deserve.

Still, for all its faults, Futuresport has a charm that only a handful of other movies attain. The world-building is audacious, daring to rearrange geopolitics in ludicrous ways. The plot is optimistic, positing that one athlete can change the world through the love of his sport. The characters are designed around specific personality traits and never deviate from them. The end result is a movie that’s cheesy in all the right ways.

Futuresport is ultimately a movie with niche appeal. If you go into it looking for sensible speculation, resonant characters, and polished action, you will be sorely disappointed. But those with a taste for schlocky sci-fi may find that it’s a fun movie, even if not for the right reasons. Give it a shot if you’re curious.

For another science fiction movie about a violence, futuristic sport, try either version of Rollerball. For a similarly wild use of Wesley Snipes, try Demolition Man. For another offbeat vision of the future, try Johnny Mnemonic, Judge Dredd, Super Mario Bros., or Escape from L.A. For another high-stakes game with more intentional comedy, try Space Jam.

[4.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158409/). I give it a 5.5 for flaky quality offset by unexpected charm.

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